WASHINGTON (Kyodo) A U.S. Senate committee said Thursday it will request Toyota Motor Corp. Executive Vice President Shinichi Sasaki to testify at a hearing next Tuesday over massive recalls of its vehicles.
The announcement ended speculation that Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who testified at the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday, might also be grilled by lawmakers at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Sasaki is effectively in charge of making recall decisions.
Yoshimi Inaba, president of Toyota Motor North America Inc., and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are also expected to appear at the Senate hearing.
Toyoda and Inaba faced a barrage of questions from politicians at Wednesday's House committee hearing, particularly regarding when they learned about cases of sudden unintended acceleration and why they believe the automaker's electronic throttle-control system is not behind the problem.